Color and Mood
There’s no question that color can affect your mood. Whether it is the bright blue sky that makes you feel happy to be outside, or the calming lavender paint in your home office, color can have a powerful or subtle effect.
In fact, after doing some research into this I’ve found that there may be more to how color can affect your mood than what you might realize. According to Room Color and How it Affects Your Mood, a variety of factors are at play when it comes to how the color of the room you are in can make you feel.
Colors affect people in many ways, depending upon one’s age, gender, ethnic background or local climate. Certain colors or groups of colors tend to get a similar reaction from most people - the overall difference being in the shade or tones used.
The article goes on to explain how various individual room colors might affect your mood in different ways. If you are looking to spruce up your home or just need a change from boring old white walls, you might consider painting one of these colors:
- Green – Green is said to be one of the more refreshing colors, as it can bring on feelings of serenity and being close to nature. Hospital rooms are often painted green in order to help patients relax, and it could be a great color for a living room to help give a sense of closeness and warmth.
- Blue – Another color found predominantly in nature, the color blue might actually help the brain relax by inducing the production of calming chemicals. If you want to paint with blue, it might be a good idea to choose a hue that is considered “warmer” such as periwinkle, so that the room doesn’t feel cold.
- Orange – While blue and green both have calming effects, orange has an energizing effect. It might be ideal for a child’s bedroom or living room, but you might also consider using it in a kitchen or exercise room. The right shade of orange is a very friendly color, and can help give a sense of warmth also. For more on warming and cooling colors, see the Paint Quality Institute’s Design Center.
There are plenty of other colors not on this list that you might enjoy, so don’t forget that personal preference can also help you decide what colors put you in a good mood. For more info on the psychology of different colors, check out InfoPlease.com’s Color Psychology article.
What colors make you feel great? I’ve always loved lavender, personally, but we’d love to know how SAM-e.com readers weigh in on their most calming or mood influencing colors.
Do you have a comment? We'd love to hear what you think!
If you have a question about SAM-e, please visit our FAQ. If you have further questions specific to your situation, please feel free to contact the Nature Made Consumer Affairs Department at 1-800-276-2878 (M-F 7AM-4PM Pacific Time) or consult with your physician.
Comment Policy
We value your comment. Please see our comment policy for more details on our guidelines for commenting.